When I lived in Edinburgh, I used to work for a well-known defence company as a Procurement Officer. One day, a colleague of mine turn around to me and said “I can smell sausages” I looked at her and said “You’re pregnant!” she said “No way! “There’s no way I’m pregnant”. “I did a pregnancy test and it was negative”. I smiled and looked at her and said “You are pregnant”! This went on for a few minutes of her not accepting my answer. I said ok, you’ll see! A few weeks later she confirmed what I already knew that she had a baby on board!
This is one of the early pregnancy signs but because many early pregnancy signs are similar to menstrual symptoms, sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference. While in most cases pregnancy tests can offer a reliable answer here are 10 tell tail signs of early pregnancy symptoms that may reveal you are expecting.
Missed period
This is the most obvious one but if you missed a period (especially if it’s regular) you probably suspect pregnancy. A missed period is one early pregnancy symptom all expectant Mums experience.
Some women have a short or very light period after they have fallen pregnant. This is called Implantation Bleeding which happens around 6-12 days after conception. This is sometimes an early pregnancy symptom indicating that the embryo has embedded itself into the uterine wall which may or may not be accompanied by menstrual like cramps.
Fatigue
Pregnancy is real hard work which is why fatigue is an early pregnancy symptom that most expectant Mums experience as so much energy goes into developing the placenta the baby’s life support system so it will zap all the energy out of you and cause fatigue shortly after you conceive.
Smell Sensitivity
As my colleague experienced, a heightened sense of smell is another symptom that makes mild odours strong and unappealing or smelling things that are not even there like my colleague as your intuition heightens too.
Morning Sickness or Nausea
This is another obvious sign that you are expecting and it can hit you at any time of day and starts when you are about 6 weeks pregnant or happen even earlier. This is due to increased levels of progesterone that causes that causes the stomach to empty more slowly, resulting in sickness.
Food Dislikes
Your extra sensitive nose may be responsible for another early sign of pregnancy. The thought, sight or smell of certain foods you love can turn your stomach or contribute to your morning sickness. Although this isn’t one of the very early signs of pregnancy, it does happen in the first trimester due to the fact your body is flooded with pregnancy hormones and getting used to the hormonal changes. It often passes by the 2nd trimester for most women when things have settled down a bit more.
Mood Swings
Yep, blame them pregnancy hormones. As early as 4 weeks into your pregnancy, you can feel moody. Later in the 1st trimester and the rest of your pregnancy journey, you can feel fine one minute and then down the next and feeling anxious. It’s all completely normal for your mood to fluctuate so don’t be so hard on yourself. Just try and eat well, listen to your body and rest when you need to. Treat yourself well.
Breast Changes
Tender swollen breasts and darkening/darker bumpy areoles are a few changes you’ll may experience in early pregnancy. Oestrogen and Progesterone are the reason for this early pregnancy sign. Your body is preparing for milk making that’s to come. Your areolas (coloured circles around the nipples) may become darker and increase in size and you’ll start to notice tiny bumps called Montgomery’s Tubercles (sebaceous oil glands which lubricate and keeps germs away from the breasts) gearing up to produce more oil to lubricate your nipples once you start nursing your little one.
Urinating Frequently
Within 2-3 weeks of conception, you may find that you have to go to the ladies more frequently. This is due to the hormone hGG which increases the blood flow to the kidneys and enables the kidneys to rid of yours and your baby’s waste more efficiently. Also your growing uterus will put pressure on your bladder, leaving less room for urine and making you head to the bathroom.
Bloating
Are you having trouble in fitting into your favourite clothes? Early pregnancy bloating is hard to distinguish from pre-menstrual bloating but it’s an early pregnancy symptom that many women feel after they conceive which is down to the hormone progesterone, which helps to slow down digestion giving nutrients from foods you eat more time to enter the bloodstream and reach your baby. Unfortunately, pregnancy bloating is often accompanied by constipation so getting the right amount of fibre in your diet to keep you regular is important.
Raised Body Temperature
This is not a fool proof early pregnancy symptom as there are other reasons your temperature may rise. If you have been using a special body thermometer to track your morning temperature, you may notice it has risen around 1 degree when you’ve conceived and it will stay raised all the way through the pregnancy.
Early pregnancy signs can occur at different times for different women. Some women experience little if any of these symptoms while others experience all of them and some can become quite poorly and experience illness all the way through their pregnancy.
